Worth the Wait
by scoob2222
Summary: Lane goes on a date and Zach gets jealous (Lane and Zach)


Worth the Wait 

"Come on Lane," Rory begged.  
  
"No way, Rory, I do not want to go out with Dean's friend Kyle."  
  
"Please Lane," Rory begged again, "It's just one night and it would mean so much to me."  
  
"Why do you need me to go out with him, again?" Lane asked sighing.  
  
"Because Dean is living at his place and we can never be alone there, and we can never be alone in my dorm because Paris is still freaking over Professor Asher dying and Kyle kind of tags along everywhere we go."  
  
"So how can my going out with Kyle fix this?" Lane asked.  
  
"Well, if you're there..." Rory began.  
  
"I can distract him while you and Dean make with the dirtiness,"  
  
"Hey, not dirty, just....private," Rory finally said.  
  
Lane thought it over for a moment, "I can't, Rory I'm sorry."  
  
"Why?" Rory practically whined.  
  
"Well, Zach."  
  
"Zach, you do mean Zach who hasn't mentioned anything about you and him for over a month now."  
  
Lane frowned, "When you say it like that you make me sound desperate."  
  
"I'm sorry Lane," Rory said, "It's just you keep waiting for Zach to make this grand admission and maybe you're expecting too much from him."   
  
Lane made a face, "You just want me to go out with Kyle."   
  
Rory sighed again, "Listen, if you really don't want to then don't. I don't want you to be miserable just to help me out."  
  
"You're really going to owe me," Lane said.   
  
Rory grabbed Lane around the neck, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."  
  
Lane hugged her back and tried not to groan.   
Back at the apartment Lane was getting ready for the date. Finally deciding on a plaid skirt and loose fitting blouse brushed out her hair and put in her contacts. She cursed as she realized that she was already ten minutes late. She grabbed her purse and rushed out her door, running straight into Zach.  
  
"Wow, tiger, slow down," Zach said laughing.  
  
"I gotta run, Zach," Lane said quickly, stepping away from him.  
  
Zach stopped and looked down at her, "Where are you going?"  
  
"Oh, out," Lane said.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Just to the movies with a few friends, you know Rory and whoever."  
  
"Oh," Zach said sounding just a little relieved but then stopped again, "So why are you all dressed up."  
  
"Oh well, Rory's coming and Dean and this guy, Kyle."  
  
"So you and Rory and Dean and this guy Kyle are going out."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So this is like a date," Zach sounded surprised.  
  
Lane glared, "Don't sound so shocked, Zach, I do occasionally attract attention from members of the opposite sex."  
  
Zach, fired up from Lane's anger yelled "That's not what I said, Lane. I just didn't think you were dating anyone right now."  
  
"Oh so what should I do? Stay home and wait for you to some sort of grand gesture."   
  
"What the hell does that mean?"  
  
"I don't know Zach why don't you take a month to think it over?"  
  
"You know, I hope you didn't think that I would care if you went out with some guy, cause I don't, I could not care less."  
  
At this tears welled up in Lane's eyes and she ran out of the apartment.  
  
"Lane," Zach shouted after her, disgusted with himself. Lane fumed as she walked back to the apartment. She had been too upset to go and had called Rory to cancel. For a while she had just walked in misery before showing up to Luke's and starting in on a huge ice cream sundae.  
  
"Hey Lane," Lorelei said and she and Luke returned from their date, "I thought you were going on a date with Dean and Rory tonight."  
  
"Cancelled, I'm far to depressed to be around people."  
  
Lorelei nodded over to Luke to let him know she would be up in a few minutes and then sat down next the Lane, grabbed a spoon and dug into Lane's ice cream "Wanna talk about it?"  
  
Lane sighed, "Zach doesn't care if I date other people."  
  
"And this is a bad thing..."   
  
"Because I want Zach to care, because I want Zach to want to date me."  
  
"Are you sure he doesn't want to?"  
  
"A month,"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I've given him a month to think about the fact that I like him. He said he needed time, but a month, 31 days. How much thinking could there be? Either he likes me or he doesn't. Then I tell him I'm going on a date and he got all mad."  
  
"He got mad."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"So," Lorelei said smiling, "Maybe he was jealous."  
  
Lane said nothing like she had never thought of it, "You think?"  
  
"Maybe Zach just moves a little slower than the rest of us, but let me tell you, honey men do not get angry about their friends going on dates. Unless of course they're more than friends."  
  
Lane smiled, "So what should I do?"   
  
"Go talk to him, either way you need to know how he feels."   
  
"Thanks, Lorelei," Lane said as she ran out of the diner.   
  
Lorelei smiled, grabbed the ice cream and headed up the stairs.  
  
Lane walked quietly into the apartment realizing that it was almost midnight and Zach was probably fast a...  
  
"Lane."   
  
"Zach," Lane said surprised.  
  
"Where have you been?" he hissed trying not to wake Brian up.  
  
"I was out."  
  
"With who, I called Rory's cell phone, she said you cancelled. I called your mom, walked around the town twice, where were you?"  
  
"You walked around the town twice," she said practically swooning.  
  
"Of course. I was worried. You ran out of here all upset."  
  
"I know and I'm sorry."   
  
"No," Zach said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"No I am."   
  
"No me, really,"  
  
"Would you just shut up?" Zach finally yelled and then stilled as Brian moved. Grabbing Lane's hand he pulled her into her bedroom.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said again, "I shouldn't have told you I didn't care who you dated, cause the truth is I was kind of, um, well you know.."   
  
"Jealous," Lane filled in.  
  
"Don't rub it in," Zach replied.  
  
"I'm not. Besides its not like I haven't been jealous of the girls you've brought home before."   
  
"Really?"  
  
"No, I just ranted about it incessantly."  
Zach half grinned at her, "So you still, uh, like me?"  
  
"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"  
  
"I don't know. You kind of caught me off guard with the whole feelings thing and I needed to think about it. I've never really thought of you that way before and that freaked me out and then all I could do was think of you that way and that freaked me out. And then by the time I stopped being freaked I thought too much time had passed."   
  
"Wow," Lane said calmly, "You really do need time to process." Then she smiled, "I figured you just didn't feel that way about me."  
  
"No, I do feel.. That way."  
  
"Good," Lane said smiling.  
  
"Good," Zach said. For a moment they both stood there awkwardly. Finally Zach moved closer to her, dipped his head down slowly and brushed his lips over hers softly. Slowly they broke away and smiled at each other. Once again Zach leaned in, kissing her more deeply this time, wrapping his arms around her waist and she stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck.  
  
Lane pulled away, "I really wish you'd done that weeks ago."  
  
"Hey, I may take my time but I think I'm well worth the wait," he said smiling that cocky grin of his.  
  
"Tell me about it," Lane replied as she pulled him in for another kiss.


End file.
